way2go! 7. Coursebook, Schulbuch

110 Unit 07 | You be the judge The question of how to keep schools safe against gun crime causes widespread disagreement. Before reading the text below, work in pairs and come up with three ways in which schools could be protected from gun crime. Share your ideas with the class. Now read the texts about five different approaches to school safety. Choose the correct texts (A–E) for each question (1–10). You can use a text more than once. Write your answers in the boxes provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. READING 23 a M p. 43 b Making schools a safe place A Lock it T he answer to school safety may lie in keeping out the perpetrators in the first place. Keeping all exterior doors, except the main entrance to each building, locked throughout schools and requiring staff, students and parents to wear and display photo ID badges could help. However, as some offenders have been students themselves, the ID system may not be enough. A functioning public address system would enable a ‘lockdown’ in which classrooms with students in are locked from the inside for protection. Additionally, schools can buy bullet-resistant Kevlar 2 panels which are mounted over the classroom door to protect them, and steel barricade locks are also available for extra-secure doors. B Security staff in schools Many schools have security guards to ensure the safety of the children learning there. These guards need to be properly trained so they can take the necessary steps at the right time and safeguard the children and school. They can vacate the school quickly without causing chaos and panic among the students or call for a lockdown if necessary. One other advantage of a regular security officer is that they will be familiar with the teachers, pupils and parents and should be able to quickly spot anyone who doesn’t belong in the school building. It is also possible that an armed security guard may act as a deterrent discouraging any potential attackers. C Armed, but not dangerous? There have been calls to arm teachers in schools so that they can protect the pupils in their care. Already more than a dozen US states have trained teachers who now carry a gun in school. It is cheaper for schools to arm teachers than to hire more security staff. Furthermore, there are schools in the countryside where the police may take longer to respond to emergency calls, and having armed teachers would cut down response time. However, teachers have expressed concern that they may be mistaken for the shooter if they are seen with a gun by police in the event of a school shooting. D The power of education Many educators feel that preventing violence in school starts with teaching young people how to control their emotions, recognize others’ feelings and to negotiate. We learn social skills from everyday interactions with each other, but frequent social media use and a decrease in free leisure time has reduced young people’s opportunities to learn these basic social skills. However, social and emotional skills can – and should – be taught in school as a way to prevent student violence. Students with more fluent social skills connect better with others and may be more able to recognize troubled peers who need help. To prevent school shootings, schools should also address key risks for violence, such as bullying, harassment, and a hostile school climate. 2 Kevlar: Markenname für ein sehr zug- und reißfestes synthetisches Material Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv